December 15, 2016 marks Royal Jordanian Airlines’ 53rd anniversary. On that day in 1963, the airline launched its operations as the national carrier of Jordan and has since been an ambassador of goodwill and friendship to other cultures, facilitating tourism and trade with the world.

Royal Jordanian has been receiving the Hashemite support since its establishment. His Majesty King Hussein’s commitment to the airline has played a key role in the progress witnessed by the carrier and helped boost its competitiveness at regional and international levels.

His Majesty King Abdullah continues to support Royal Jordanian. The latest royal gesture was to act as a patron of Royal Jordanian’s golden jubilee three years ago. His Majesty wrote a letter during his visit to Royal Jordanian headquarters, which came half a century after the Royal decree was issued by His Majesty King Hussein founding Alia, as Royal Jordanian was previously known.

Royal Jordanian President/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat expressed the airline’s appreciation for the care the Jordanian government provides and its keenness to maintain Royal Jordanian as Jordan’s carrier for its contribution to the national economy and for its support for tourism, culture and the society at large for 53 years.

He stressed the airline’s determination to take a number of measures which aims to improve its overall performance and increase its efficiency and productivity.

Royal Jordanian has all the ingredients needed to be successful and move to a brighter future, said Captain Obeidat, adding that Royal Jordanian will continue to improve its services, facilitate travel procedures and develop employees’ skills by training them according to the best customer-service standards. In addition, it will reinforce technology within the systems, in harmony with the international airlines, particularly its partners in the oneworld airline alliance.

Captain Obeidat said that Royal Jordanian introduced five 787s into the fleet at the end of 2014 and an additional 787 last November. Royal Jordanian will also introduce a seventh aircraft at the beginning of 2017, as a part of its strategic plan to modernise the long-haul fleet.

The airline fleet also encompasses modern Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Today’s Royal Jordanian fleet age has an average of five years, which puts the airline on par with international carriers.

Captain Obeidat also outlined that the airline’s network is flexible and is continuously reviewed, in order to meet international travel requirements and ensure its economic feasibility. This will help its goal of being recognised as the airline of choice that connects Jordan to the world.

There are 15 codeshare agreements between Royal Jordanian and regional and international airlines, these include: American Airlines; Air Berlin; British Airways; Iberia; Siberia Airlines; Malaysia Airlines; Sri Lankan Airlines; Turkish Airlines; Oman Air; Middle East Airlines; Tarom; Qatar Airways; Gulf Air; Syrian Air; and Meridiana Fly Airlines. These types of codeshares contribute to a higher number of passengers.

Captain Obeidat said the human factor is the main productive element and Royal Jordanian invests in its staff through training courses, which develop their skills and, by extension, improves the airline’s performance.

In the area of corporate social responsibility, Captain Obeidat said that, since its establishment, Royal Jordanian’s mission has been to increase social interaction. The company believes in the role of the public and private sectors in serving different categories of the society.

This is embodied in Royal Jordanian’s support for charities and development institutions, and for social economic, tourist, environmental, educational and youth activities, in addition to sport and arts.

In 1963, the company had 250 employees, operated two aircraft, a Handley Page Dart Herald and a DC7, and was flying to three destinations: Beirut, Kuwait and Cairo. Today, Royal Jordanian’s fleet features 25 modern aircraft that operates across a network of 55 cities, spanning four continents. The number of passengers that Royal Jordanian carries, increased from 87,000 in 1964 to almost 3 million by the end of this 2016; the number of yearly flights grew from 4,000 to more than 35,000 over the same period.